Sharing my Pinguicula (and other CP) adventures

Hey viewers, welcome to my little Pinguicula blog. In order to get to writing the more in-depth and specific posts, I'm going to keep this introduction short and sweet. Here it goes:

Hey, I'm Ben, I've been growing carnivorous plants in Portland, Oregon, since August of 2015. When I first started growing CPs, I thought I was for-sure going down either a Drosera or Nepenthes path, and didn't even consider including Pings in my collection (for those newer to the hobby, CP stands for "carnivorous plant", and "Ping" is short for Pinguicula). However, after getting some P. chilensis in a very generous trade, I was immediately hooked on Pings. Since then, I have been focusing specifically on obtaining and growing Pinguicula. While Drosera is still dominant in my collection, making up the largest percentage of the plants I grow, Pinguicula are not too far behind in second, and they are definitely the plants that challenge me the most.

Most of my Pinguicula growing efforts are focused on the European cold-temperate Pinguicula, although some of my favorites come from the South American section Apullipalatum, the section which P. chilensis belongs to. While I do have an appreciation for Mexican Pinguicula, and a few of them certainly make their way into those I'd consider my favorites, they do not have the same mystique that I find in the cold-temperates. Perhaps the trait of the cold-temperates that appeals the most to me is their extremely cold-tolerant nature. Something about a carnivorous plant that can withstand sub-freezing temps for over six out of the twelve months in a year gets me much more excited than showy flowers and colorful leaves (although these two traits are in no way absent from the cold-temperates!)

Now that I've given everyone a bit of background, we can finally get to the good stuff! Into the Ping Sea we go...

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